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Can Trump win Ohio without any black support?

Posted: Jul 18 2016 07:40AM PDT

Video Posted: Jul 18 2016 09:17AM PDT

CLEVELAND (WJBK) - This week, the Republicans will crown Donald Trump as the nominee for the highest office in the land. But the man in charge of hosting the coronation wasn't exactly behind him a year ago and Trump still doesn't have a lot of support in minority communities.

Last year, Cuyahoga County Republican Chairman Rob Frost talked to Charlie LeDuff. Trump had only recently thrown his hat in the ring and Charlie wanted to know what he thought of the businessman-turned-politician.

Frost sighed.

Today, he's staring down the realization that Trump's the GOP's guy. The wealthy business man is in Ohio, which the Republicans picked because it's a blue-collar, working class city in a blue collar, working class state. It was supposed to pull in white voters in because no Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio.

Here's who they left out: minorities.

Charlie: Your Republican party, as you know it, is it dead? For instance, the platform now is build a wall, America first in trade deals - basically close it down, and special scrutiny for Muslims. Your Republican party? Frost: We’re going to continue welcoming everybody in and even if someone disagrees with us on something, they’re still welcome in the republican party. Even if what they disagree with us on is that they’re not yet ready to vote for Donald Trump. Charlie: The latest Wall Street Journal poll shows the black support for Donald Trump in Ohio at zero. Can you win with zero? Frost: Well, see, that’s the starting point that Mitt Romney gave us. Mitt Romney was at zero and his campaign was run miserably in Ohio. I don’t know how somebody so smart in business could be so bad at running a campaign. Charlie: Sounds like Trump. Frost: Well that’s where we are right now so that’s our starting point. And guess what? Romney came pretty close. What we’re going to be doing with Donald Trump… it’s all of the above. We’re going to be working on building back from zero with minorities.